Oviposition Site Choice in the Yellow Dung Fly <i>Scathophaga stercoraria</i>

Ward, Paul I.; Foglia, Massimiliano; Blanckenhorn, Wolf U.

doi:10.1046/j.1439-0310.1999.00419.x

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The success of dung fly eggs depends on the topography and microclimate of the place of oviposition on the dropping; choice of a suitable oviposition site increases female reproductive success (Ward et al 1999). Ward (1998) raised larvae of different phosphoglucomutase ( pgm) genotypes in two different dung conditions with the same means for humidity and temperature, but in one set the temperature remained constant and in the other set it was variable.…”

Section: Studies On Sperm Selection By Femalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Selection: The Logical Imperative

Parker

Pizzari

2015

History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences

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Modern sexual selection theory, developed from Darwin's original intuition, is a cornerstone of evolutionary theory and represents the most parsimonious and robust explanation for a bewildering array of evolutionary patterns and diversity. Here we first outline the principles of modern sexual selection theory and discuss their heuristic value. Second, we review empirical demonstrations of the operation of sexual selection through the case study of the yellow dung fly. Finally, we propose that a sequence of evolutionary events flows inevitably from the early evolution of sexual recombination and gametes, to anisogamy and in dioecious organisms, to the unity sex ratio via Fisher's principle. As Darwin and Bateman predicted, it was the primary sexual difference-anisogamy-that became an almost obligatory, irreversible transition favouring socio-ecological conditions that ultimately generated secondary differentiation of sexual strategies between the sexes, and typically plays a strong part in their maintenance (though sex roles can, rather rarely, be reversed). When considered within the broader context, sexual selection emerges deductively as the logical consequence of this evolutionary succession. We conclude by highlighting aspects integral to sexual selection theory that are currently the focus of on-going discussion.

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Section: Studies On Sperm Selection By Femalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Selection: The Logical Imperative

Parker

Pizzari

2015

History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences

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“…Females prefer to lay their eggs on small hills on the dung surface and avoid depressions and sharply elevated points where eggs may suffer a higher risk of drowning or desiccation, respectively, and such female choice of suitable oviposition sites increases female reproductive success . Although Ward et al (1999) found that oviposition was not influenced by the presence of other eggs, a recent study reported that females do respond to egg density by decreasing clutch size on crowded pats (Buser et al unpublished). Intriguingly, females seem not only to choose where to lay their eggs, and how many eggs to lay, but also the parentage of those eggs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Wild yellow dung fly females may not select sperm based on dung pat microclimate but could nevertheless benefit from polyandry

2011

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Molecular techniques have substantially improved our knowledge of postcopulatory sexual selection. Nevertheless, studies examining sperm utilization in natural populations of nonsocial insects are rare, support for sperm selection (biased use of stored sperm, e.g. to match offspring genotypes to prevailing environmental conditions) is elusive, and its relevance within natural populations unknown. We performed an oviposition site choice experiment in the field where female yellow dung flies Scathophaga stercoraria could deposit eggs into three different microenvironments on a dung pat (the east-west ridge, north- or south-exposed side), and genotyped the offspring and sperm remaining in storage after oviposition. Females exhibited plasticity in the number of eggs deposited according to pat age. Additionally, temperature strongly influenced egg placement: the warmer the temperature, the higher the proportion of eggs laid into the north-exposed side of dung. The number of ejaculates in storage differed amongst spermathecae, and females stored sperm from more males than fathered their offspring (2.11 sires vs. 2.84 males within sperm stores). Mean last male paternity was 83.4%, roughly matching previous laboratory estimates. Importantly, we found no evidence that females selectively lay eggs of different genotypes, by biasing paternity towards certain males, depending on offspring's microclimate. Thus, while we show female choice over number of eggs and where these are deposited, there was no evidence for sperm selection. We further revealed positive effects of multiple mating on total number of offspring and proportion of offspring emerging from the dung. We argue that the integration of field studies and laboratory experiments is essential to promote our understanding of polyandry and cryptic female choice

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“…Several authors (Zvereva & Zhemchuzhina, 1985;Hogsette & Washington, 1995;Ward et al, 1999) report that female flies can be very choosy about where they oviposit with marked preferences for particular substrates. The oviposition sites selected are frequently those that are most favourable for larval development .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of the size of the pupae, adult diet, oviposition substrate and adult population density on egg production in Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae)

Pastor¹,

Kozánek²,

Martínez-Sánchez³

et al. 2011

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. In order to enhance the mass production of the house fly, Musca domestica, five aspects of its oviposition biology were analyzed. Oviposition substrate and the manner of its presentation, the composition of the diet of the adults, size of the pupae and numbers of flies in a cage were identified as critical. Females preferred to lay eggs on a substrate which was presented within a shelter and with increased linear edges against which the flies could oviposit. Different types of oviposition substrate resulted in comparable yields of eggs. The presence of an oviposition attractant (ammonia) in the manure was found to have a potentially positive effect on female fecundity. Egg yield increased when two protein sources (yeast and milk) were included in the adult diet. However, flies fed a mixture of sugar and yeast laid over 50% fewer eggs than those fed the same proportion of sugar and milk. The fecundity of flies decreased with increase in the number of flies per cage, but the highest total number of eggs per cage was obtained when the flies were most crowded (14.2 cm 3 per fly). The size of the pupae did not significantly affect egg production.

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Oviposition Site Choice in the Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria

Cited by 19 publications

References 16 publications

Sexual Selection: The Logical Imperative

Sexual Selection: The Logical Imperative

Wild yellow dung fly females may not select sperm based on dung pat microclimate but could nevertheless benefit from polyandry

Effect of the size of the pupae, adult diet, oviposition substrate and adult population density on egg production in Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae)

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